Summary:
The Salem-Keizer School District 24J in Oregon is home to 13 middle schools, serving students in grades 6-8. The district encompasses a mix of traditional public middle schools and public charter middle schools, with a range of academic performance and student demographics.
Among the standout schools in the district are Judson Middle School, Walker Middle School, and Straub Middle School, all of which are ranked in the top 128 middle schools in Oregon and have earned 3-star ratings from SchoolDigger. These schools demonstrate strong academic performance, with over 50% of 8th-grade students proficient in English Language Arts and Mathematics. In contrast, the district and state-level test scores are generally low, with most schools performing below the state averages.
The Howard Street Charter and Jane Goodall Environmental Middle Charter School stand out as the highest-performing middle schools in the district, ranking 38th and 59th out of 368 Oregon middle schools, respectively, and earning 4-star ratings. These charter schools significantly outperform the district and state averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. However, the district as a whole faces challenges, such as a high chronic absenteeism rate of 34.3% and a large percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student populations.
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